The Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) has issued decisions in its first procedures: Belarus weightlifter Mikalai Novikau (85 kg) and Uzbekistan weightlifter Ruslan Nurudinov (105 kg) are found to have committed anti-doping rule violations in accordance with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the XXX Olympiad, London 2012. The results obtained by Mikalai Novikau and Ruslan Nurudinov are disqualified with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and/or prizes.

Both athletes participated in Men’s weightlifting competitions at the London 2012 Olympic Games(the Games). Urine samples provided by them during the Games were analysed at the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in London at the time of the Games. Neither sample returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) and at the IOC’s request, the remains of the samples were transferred to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland for long-term storage. The samples were then reanalysed in 2018 by the Lausanne Laboratory which noted the presence of Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (also known as “oral turinabol”) in the samples of both athletes, and additionally, the presence of Stanozolol in the sample of Mikalai Novikau.

At the beginning of April 2019, the IOC referred both matters to the CAS ADD. The cases were referred to a Sole Arbitrator and after reviewing the file materials and parties’ written submissions, the Sole Arbitrator found that both athletes committed an anti-doping rule violation and that the appropriate sanction was the disqualification of their results in the competition in question, with all other consequences related thereto as applicable including forfeiture of any medals, points and/or prizes. Both CAS procedures were completed within 6 weeks. The cases will now be referred to the International Weightlifting Federation for further follow-up.

The CAS ADD, a separate Division of the CAS, began operating in January 2019. It has been established to hear and decide anti-doping cases as a first-instance authority upon written delegation of powers from the IOC, International Federations, International Testing Agency and any other signatories to the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC). The CAD ADD conducts its procedures in accordance with the applicable anti-doping rules of the international sports entities concerned and is tasked to decide whether or not there has been a violation of the anti-doping rules, as well as to decide any sanction, if applicable, in accordance with the WADC.

• This media release was published by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD) on 27 May 2019. Click here for the original.